The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was the treaty which officially ended the Spanish-American War. The Treaty of Paris of 1898 thus eliminated the presence of the Spanish Empire within America and within the islands of the Pacific Ocean.

The Spanish-American War was fought between Spain and America, primarily over the disposition of Cuba, as Americans had been inflamed to war by reports of the Spanish Empire committing crimes within Cuba as the ruling body for Cuba. The Spanish-American War was fought primarily within the Pacific Ocean and the area of the Caribbean.

The Spanish-American War was a primarily one-sided affair, as the Americans won most of the battles in the war without significant casualties, meaning that when the Treaty of Paris of 1898 was signed, the Americans were in a significantly better diplomatic position than the Spaniards. 

The Treaty of Paris of 1898 would ultimately grant to America the rights of ownership to Puerto Rico and Guam. Cuba would be given to the Cubans according to the Treaty of Paris of 1898, with Spain assuming the tremendous financial debt Cuba owed towards America. America eventually agreed to pay Spain twenty million dollars for the Philippines, which Spain ultimately agreed to, primarily because if it did not agree to that term, then it seemed that war would break out again and America had been the victor in the prior war. Thus, Spain desired to avoid any further conflict.

The Treaty of Paris of 1898 is considered a notable treaty as it transformed the United States of America into a colonial nation with foreign colonies under its control.